June 4, 1998
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Mary Beth Maggart (Spring, Texas, Klein H.S.), a senior on the women's tennis team, and Mike Turner (Inglewood, Calif., Morningside H.S.), a junior on the men's track and field team, have been named Purdue's Athletes-of-the-Month for their outstanding performances throughout May. The award is sponsored by WLFI-TV and Twin City Dodge-Chrysler-Plymouth.
Maggart, a three-time All-Big Ten honoree, recorded a 3-0 singles mark in May. She won two matches at the 1998 Big Ten Championship tournament in Madison, Wis., defeating Iowa's Natalya Dawaf 6-3, 7-6 on May 1, and Indiana's Correne Stout 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 on May 2. Maggart downed Stout again in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional in Champaign, Ill., on May 15, winning 6-2, 1-6, 7-5. That marked her third win over Stout this season. In doubles, Maggart teamed with sophomore Jennifer Embry (Houston, Texas) to post a 2-2 May mark. The Boilers' top pair, Maggart and Embry became the first Purdue doubles team to receive an invitation to compete in the NCAA Championships. They were one of just 32 teams selected to compete. At that event, hosted by Notre Dame, the Boiler tandem went 1-1, upsetting No. 1 Stanford's top team of Anne Kremer and Teryn Ashley 6-4, 6-3 in the first round. The run ended in the round of 16, as Maggart and Embry fell to the Fighting Irish's Tiffany Gates and Jennifer Hall 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.
Turner, the Purdue record holder in the indoor and outdoor triple jumps, defended his title at the Big Ten Championships hosted by Ohio State on May 24. Despite not competing in that event for over a month, Turner jumped 52-02.50 to win another conference crown, his fourth overall and third straight in the outdoor triple jump. Turner placed fifth in the long jump with a career-best tying leap of 24-05.50.
All told, Turner was Purdue's highest scorer, contributing 14 of the Boilermakers' 65 points. His efforts helped the Boilers place fifth, their highest finish since they came in second in 1990. Turner's season-best effort in the triple jump turned in at Big Ten's qualified him to compete at the NCAA Championships, which are currently being held in Buffalo, N.Y., from June 3-6.